Things are not going smoothly for the organisers of the Soweto Marathon as the date edges closer.
Entries are not as high as expected, a title sponsor has not been secured and it is unclear whether the popular race, scheduled for November 6, will be broadcast live on TV.
It will be the first time the race has taken place since the pandemic in 2020.
At that time, the marathon was growing in leaps and bounds and had established itself as the “People’s Race”, but the two-year coronavirus absence has adversely affected it.
The Soweto Marathon is classified one of the toughest races in the country with several steep hills at various intervals.
The route passes the former houses of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the famous Vilakazi Street in Orlando, which is a popular tourist attraction.
The route also passes the venue where the ANC’s Freedom Charter was drawn up in Kliptown and the Morris Isaacson Secondary, where the 1976 student uprisings started, and the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum.
Just before Vilakazi Street, runners will see the Orlando house of struggle icon Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.
Other captivating sites along the route are The Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (the biggest hospital in the southern hemisphere), the Soweto Theatre and the iconic Orlando Stadium.
Compared with past races, increased entry prices have resulted in complaints and low registration.
For the 42.2km (R400), for the 21.1km (R300) and 10km (R200), organisers say 20,000 entries have been sold, but registration remains open after it was extended in early September due to low interest.
The Soweto Marathon trust chair Sello Khunou is confident entries will improve.
“Things are very expensive these days. Today we buy a loaf of bread for R20. If people are true and fair, the race is not that expensive. The economy is bad and we saw how petrol went up and when it is going down, it does not make a difference. We must have a beautiful race that will be of high level for athletes and also very pleasing,” said Khunou.
“We are still talking to the SABC about coverage and we cannot say much until things have been finalised. We are also appealing to companies to come on board because things are uphill without a headline sponsor.
“Even at this late stage, any company can assist us to stage a great race.”
Nike and Old Mutual are two sponsors that have pulled out in recent years.
